Les Guillamaux is a large 19th century stone farmhouse set in the rolling countryside of South West France near to the Bastide villages of Fleurance, Lectoure and St.Clar. Off a small country lane the house retains all the character of a traditional Gascon farmhouse ; large rooms, stone walls, beamed ceilings, original tiled floors and open fireplaces alongside all modern comforts. Large squishy sofas, well equipped kitchen and comfortable beds, cool in summer and cosy in winter. The house sits in an acre garden with outdoor dining under the pergola, a variety of fruit trees, wonderful flowers and panoramic views to nearby hilltop villages. It has its own private pool 11m x 5m with full width steps perfect for cooling down on, bicycles of various sizes for exploring, table tennis in the summer lounge, a huge 5m trampoline for everyone and plenty of space for boules, badminton and football.
Further details indoors
The house has large rooms all with original beams and shuttered windows and amply fits 10 people. We do have two extra mattresses if your group size is just that little larger. With three bath/shower rooms all with toilets and 4 huge bedrooms there is space for everyone! Downstairs, there are two bedrooms: a twin bedded room with its own french windows onto the garden and suitable for anyone with limited mobility ( No stairs ). And lastly, a huge dormitory style bed room with 4 single beds also with direct access to the garden. The downstairs rooms share a wet shower room, ideal for showering mucky children, or overheated adults. Upstairs, there is the master double bedroom ( fantastic beamed ceiling) with en suite family shower/dressing room, and along the corridor another double bedroom ( can sleep 2 more on mattresses ) with a bathroom next door. We can arrange the sleeping arrangements with you according to the needs of your party. A baby cot is available. The people in this part of France, like so many, take their food and wine very seriously- as we do! The fully equipped family kitchen has a wonderful wood burning stove in it, dining table for up to 12 and french doors to the garden. It comes complete with modern gas hob, electric fan oven, integrated dishwasher and huge fridge. It is well equipped with big pots, pans and dishes, mixer to cater for the masses. In the separate utility room there is a washing machine, sink, drying maid, ironing board etc. and the central heating system. A high chair is also available. Next to the kitchen is the main lounge with a large open fireplace, doors to the garden and of course, two big squishy sofas to stretch out on. For home entertainment there is a CD, MP3 and iPod/phone music systems, and a collection of board games and books. We recently created a second lounge upstairs with flat screenTV on the very large mezzanine- a place to escape to, to read a book quietly, or listen to some different music - somewhere for teenagers , or others to gather, to lounge on big sofas, listen to music, watch a film, play cards.....There is also a big table for the family game of Monopoly, lego building, or puzzle making.
Further details outdoors
LIFE OUTSIDE: The house is set in its own one acre garden with a pool surrounded by olive trees, an orchard and large grassed areas that are perfect for ball and other games. Hammocks are dotted about so everyone can all find a spot for the afternoon siesta.... The pool is fully managed and you need do nothing other than take a dip. It is a 11 x 5 m pool with full width entrance steps, pool alarm and outdoor shower. If you're feeling particularly active you could skim a few leaves, or perhaps rescue the odd piece of wildlife that falls into the pool. The house comes with other playthings too. These include a full-size table tennis table, a 5m trampoline, a swing off the big oak tree, six bicycles to suit ages from 6 years up, a badminton set, cricket set, swingball, plus the mandatory boules and of course BBQ equipment!
